wood

OnePlus has a lot of things going for its phones. They're usually the least expensive way to get flagship specs like the latest high-end Qualcomm SoC, and the software experience is close to stock Android. But, in my opinion, their best feature isn't something you're likely to notice unless you spend a bit more time and money on the company's store. That's because the first-party wood and Kevlar cases OnePlus sells are, without exception, the single nicest I've ever used.

Like it or not, it's clear that Motorola's often-leaked upcoming batch of phones will be very different from the relatively straightforward designs in its current lineup. Previous leaks indicated that at least some of the models in the refreshed Moto X (or possibly Moto Z) and DROID series will have add-on modules called "MotoMod" that snap onto the back of the phone via a proprietary interface. It's a lot like the direction that LG is taking with its modular G5.

Motorola announced new pricing for the long-delayed wood back option for the Moto X last week. The excitement of the $25 price point was tempered by the indeterminate release date of "coming soon." Well, it was pretty soon – the Moto X is now available with ebony, teak, walnut, or bamboo backs for just $25 extra.

Motorola has just announced the much anticipated expansion of its wood finishes for the Moto X. The Walnut, Teak and Ebony versions of the device will be available on January 21st for an extra $25. If you're more of a minimalist person, the bamboo version of the Moto X has been dropped to $25 starting today.

The Bamboo option debuted a few weeks ago at $100, so the price drop to $25 might annoy those who dropped the cash already. Still, Moto says it wants wood finishes to be affordable for everyone. Motorola is handing out $75 credits to those who bought the bamboo at full price, but the coupons are only good on accessory orders of $75 or more (not including the Chromecast).

It looks very likely to be the case that Motorola will be charging a little extra for the wooden backs on the Moto X, and by a little, I mean in the neighborhood of $50 compared to the plastic X. Is there $50 of wood, workmanship, and assembly there to justify this premium? Of course not. It's an option that, like most "premium" add-ons for everything from cars to kitchen appliances, is there for those people willing to pay to get it. No one needs a phone made of wood, aluminum, or rich Corinthian leather. It's an upsell, and if you think you're generally going to get a "fair" price on an option that isn't included with the base model product, you're probably deluding yourself.

The Moto X has been making headlines as of late for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is the astoundingly versatile Motomaker. Motomaker lets you to customize your phone to a degree that we've never seen before, allowing for a staggering total of 504 unique color combinations. Don't gasp in amazement at that number just yet, though. It looks like Motorola is preparing Motomaker to include the wooden backs we saw last month at the phone's unveiling. A quick peek at the code of the Motomaker webpage reveals that, though hidden to the common viewer (perhaps part of the checkout process), wooden Moto X backs are waiting patiently to make their debut and, further, that they will cost an additional $50.

Wood block apps are a f*!#ing joke. Most of them don't even have mallet options or choices for wood weight or grain type. Fakeblock, which is now free on the Play Store...well, actually, it also doesn't have any of those options. But! It is still the most phenomenal block-of-wood-simulator that you will ever have the privilege of installing on your device.

We've been waiting for this app to launch ever since the big Cinco de Quatro event where CEO George Maharis announced that the app is "real" and encouraged us to "put up this wall." The company has already received several rounds of funding including $50,000 from an unnamed executive of a real estate company.